The SEI helps advance software engineering principles and practices and serves as a national resource in software engineering, computer security, and process improvement. The SEI works closely with defense and government organizations, industry, and academia to continually improve software-intensive systems. Its core purpose is to help organizations improve their software engineering capabilities and develop or acquire the right software, defect free, within budget and on time, every time.

Survey Shows E-Crime Incidents are Declining Yet Impact is Increasing

Framingham, MA—Sept. 6, 2006—CSO magazine today releases results of the 2006 E-Crime Watch survey, which reveals a decline in security events, yet an increase in the financial and operational losses caused by such electronic crime incidents. The third annual survey of 434 security executives and law enforcement personnel was conducted in cooperation with the U.S. Secret Service, Carnegie Mellon University Software Engineering Institute's CERT® Coordination Center and Microsoft Corp.

According to findings, while the average number of security events per respondent continues to decline (34 in the last 12 months vs. 86 in 2005 and 136 in 2004), the impact of these crimes is increasing as reflected by both financial and operational losses. Sixty-three percent of respondents report operational losses as a result of e-crime, with 40 percent reporting financial losses (averaging $740,000 vs. $507,000 in 2005) and 23 percent reporting harm to their organization's reputation.

According to Bob Bragdon, publisher of CSO magazine, "Better perimeter technologies are helping organizations fight against e-crime's depleting effect on time, money and resources; however, we're also seeing increased reports of 'harm to reputation' and 'lost current/future revenues.'"